Bloodshot
by xHypnotizedx
Summary: Through a series of events, Dougie finds out what the life of a fugitive is like
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Pretty Much My Life.

"Shay! Shayna! Hurry up!" My brother called as I trailed behind him. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and hurried to catch up. He stopped and waited for me, a half smile on his face. "Do you want to be late?"  
"Looks who's talking," I muttered smiling, referring to all the tardy slips he's gotten in the past month that school has started. We walked along the path to the high school. We could have been inside already if we had gotten a parking pass. But we didn't, so my brother was parked two blocks away from the parking lot.  
It figures. Kids like us had the short end of the stick just because we were greasers.  
Well, I shouldn't say we. I can't necessarily say I am. I don't want a part in any of this gang business, but ever since I started high school it was split up. Greasers and Socs, short for Socials, I guess. I don't know much about any of these gangs except that my brother and his friends were greasers, and the rich kids were socs. It all had to do with money.  
Socs meant nice cars, nice clothes, rich parents, big houses, you name it, they had it. Greasers, not so much. Less money, cheap cars, things like that. Or for us, no parking pass which meant we had to walk an extra two blocks to get to school.  
Then there were those kids in the middle. Not really soc or greaser. I guess we were more along those lines rather than greasers. I mean, we had money. A decent car. Things like that but I suppose my brother and his friends preferred to be greasers, though I'm not really sure.  
"Meet me at your locker after school, okay?" My brother told me. I nodded, "Sure, I'll be here."  
He was really protective of me since I started high school. In middle school you didn't have to worry about this kind of stuff, but lately it's gotten bad. If you even look at a soc wrong they'll find some excuse to jump you. I don't know why. All I know is that there was a fight not two long ago between the rival gangs and things between them are rockier than they've ever been. So my brother doesn't like me to be out on my own much.  
Even though school's been in for a month, I can't say I'm very popular. Sure, I have a few friends, most of the socs, but it's really no big deal because girls don't care much about the whole gang situation and because freshman are barely considered soc or greaser. They're just freshman. That's why socs usually won't mess you you if you're a freshman or a girl.  
Unless of course you give them a reason to. Or if you have relations to a greaser like I did. Especially a greaser like my brother.  
Danny Jones. You say the name to anyone in school and they know it, soc or grease. That can be a good thing and that can be a bad thing, but everyone knows my brother. And he knows everyone else. Not like me. People only know me because they know Danny. Shayna Jones, the little sister. That's all anyone knows me by. It's not that I'm jealous if my brother. I'm not. I'm just tired of living in his shadows all the time. No, it's not like I want to show him up, because I don't. Even if I did it would be next to impossible. I just wish people knew me for me.  
The day seemed to drag on and on. Finally, seventh period was over and I made my way back to my locker. Danny, Tom and Harry were all against the wall waiting for me. I felt my cheeks burn. I knew I'd have all my friends asking me tomorrow, "You know Tom Fletcher and Harry Judd?"  
They were almost as popular as Danny because they were his best friends.  
"Hiya, baby sister." Danny grinned. I smiled and opened my locker to gather my books then the four of us headed back to Danny's car.  
Three blocks away.  
A car sped behind us and stopped right next to my brother. He leaned into the window and gave the kid a high five, "Wuddup baby?" he smiled and greeted the kid they way he greeted everyone else. I couldn't see the kid in the driver's seat but it was no surprise that Danny knew him.  
I waited for them to drive away and then the four of us finally made it back to Danny's car. "Shotgun!" Harry called rushing to the front seat. I rolled my eyes and climbed in the back with Tom. As soon as I shut the door, three different scents of cologne filled the car. I rolled my window down. A few kids shouted things at Danny on the drive home. Some good, some bad. When they yelled bad things he and Harry just shoved their heads out the windows and cussed them out.  
This was pretty much my life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - The Mystery Kid.**

So we dropped Danny's friends off at home then made our way back to our own house. His phone started ringing not ten minutes after we dropped Harry off.  
No surprise there.  
In one swift motion he pulled it out of his pocket, flipped it open, then placed it to his ear, "Yeah?"  
I stared out the window as my brother talked to whoever was on the phone. Then his phone clicked shut and he turned to me, "Listen, I have to leave school early tomorrow, okay? So I won't be able to pick you up."  
"Alright," I shrugged, "No big deal I'll just walk."  
"Over my dead body you'll walk!" he scoffed.  
"Danny, it's like twelve blocks at most. Not exactly a big deal." I told him simply. He shook his head, "You aren't walking home by yourself. There's no way."  
"Danny, you sound like mom! I'll be fine." I was getting annoyed. I loved Danny to death. He was one of my best friends to be honest. But this was getting ridiculous.  
"I'll get someone to drive you home," he told me making things final. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my bag then shoved the car door open with my shoulder after he had parked in our driveway.  
"You're not mad at me are you?" Danny asked following me inside. I didnt answer. He grabbed my arm, "Shay, look. I just don't want you getting hurt, got it? People know you're my sister and if there's someone out there with a problem with me then they'll do anything to get to me. Even if that means jumping you. Got it?"  
I sighed. He really was only looking out for me and I understood where he was coming from. "Got it."  
He smiled and hugged me. "And...?" he waited for more, "Are you going to thank me?"  
"Thank you, Danny." I rolled my eyes, "You're my hero."  
I ran to my room and got started on my homework. My brother was out of the house just a half hour after we had gotten home. He was always running around with Harry and Tom and one other kid, but I can't remember his name. I'd met him once, but he doesn't hang around our house as much as Tom and Harry. He's one of Danny's best friends, I just hardly see him. He doesn't talk much either, well that's what I hear anyway. You could call him shy, or even slightly weird, but I preferred mysterious. Danny'd talk about him every once in a while but I could never remember the kid's name.  
Danny was home around ten. He never came home for dinner, though we hadn't actually had a family dinner in a while. That's because my parents were constantly fighting and my dad was never home as much anymore. So I ate by myself or sometimes I'd walk with friends down to a restaurant for dinner.  
Around the time I got ready for bed, my parents would start fighting. This time in the day was sort of a love/hate kind of thing. I hated it because I hated hearing my parents fight. But I loved it because in the room next to me I could hear Danny playing his guitar and singing softly. He didn't sing in front of me much, but I loved to hear him sing until I finally fell to sleep.  
The next day after third period I stopped at my locker. There was a boy there already. He was kind of short, maybe a little taller than me but that's not saying much. He had light hair hidden by a white baseball cap turned backwards and a lip ring. I eyed him as I got closer to my locker.  
"You Shayna?" he asked me as I spun the dials on my lock. I nodded.  
"And your brother's Danny right?"  
I nodded again.  
"And you're on your way to English?"  
"What are you some kind of stalker?" I laughed. He laughed lightly, "Something like that. Just wanted to make sure I got my subject right before I went in for the kill." he laughed again. "Kidding, I swear. Listen, your brother told me I'd find you here. I'm driving you home today."  
I knew he'd send one of his minions to bring me home but I assumed it would be Harry or Tom. Not this kid.  
"Alright..." I nodded.  
"Meet me back here after school?" He asked. I nodded and he walked away.

After seventh period, the mystery kid was already waiting at my locker, a half smile on his face, "Ready?"  
I nodded and gathered my books and we headed to his car.  
"So you're a freshman then?" The kid asked me. I nodded but didn't say much. I barely even knew this kid and I didn't even know his name. As if he could read my mind he smiled. "Sorry, I never properly introduced myself to you. Name's Dougie. Just Dougie. Not Douglas. God, does that piss me off when teachers call me Douglas."  
I smiled when he finished his rant. Well at least I knew his name now.  
"So you're a junior, right?" I asked him as I opened the door to the passenger's side of the car. He shook his head, "Nope. Sophomore."  
Sophomore? I counted in my head but he spoke before I could finished, "Yep. Turned fifteen last November."  
"So wait...You're fifteen...You can't drive."  
"Well this," He pulled his wallet out of his pocket, "Says I can."  
And there in his wallet was his face on a driver's license. I sat there confused, just staring at it. He laughed and shut his wallet, "Fake license. I know a guy."  
I slowly put my seat belt on. He laughed again, "No worries, kid. I've never gotten in a crash. Never even been pulled over before. Your brother and Harry and Tom have been teaching me since the three of them could drive. I was bout thirteen when I started learning."  
He sped away from the curb and took a sharp left turn at the corner. Never been pulled over? Hard to believe with this kid. I sat quietly for a while. The silence was kind of awkward so Dougie turned the radio on letting Blink 182's song All the Small Things blare through the speakers. I smiled and sang along.  
"Hey, you like Blink?" he asked me above the music. I nodded and he rolled down the windows singing loudly to the song and waving at random kids walking home from school.  
"So how do you know my brother?" I asked when the song ended and he turned the volume down again. He turned to me, a serious look on his face. "I'll tell you later," he said simply, "Remind me and I promise I'll tell you. Just....later. Okay?"  
I nodded slowly, "Sure. Well can I ask another question then?"  
"Ask away," he grinned cheekily.  
"Why did my brother have to leave early today?" I asked him. Danny never really said why, but I didn't think much of it. I wondered if Dougie knew. He just laughed to himself, "He had some stuff he had to take care of."  
I wondered what he meant by that. I knew it had nothing to do with drugs. Danny didn't do drugs or deal them for that matter. Said it was stupid. Sure he smoked every now and then and got drunk on occasions but I knew it had nothing to do with drugs.  
Probably just another fight. Dougie must have sensed my worry because he put his hand on my shoulder and laughed, "He's fine. I promise."  
"Sure," I nodded and Dougie pulled into my driveway.  
"Well, thanks," I smiled as I grabbed my bag. He nodded once, "No problem. See you around, Shay."  
"Sure. See ya," I shut the door behind me and walked inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Dyslexia?  
Dougie's POV**

I watched as Shayna opened the back door and let herself inside. I smiled to myself. I wished she wasn't my best friend's little sister. He probably has some rule against me dating her. I shook the thought from my head. She was a freshman anyway, it didn't matter. Did it?  
Get ahold of yourself Doug! I told myself as I still sat in her driveway, She's fourteen and Danny's little sister.  
I sighed and backed out of the gravel driveway then headed for my house. I turned the corner and sped down the street. Seconds later I heard sirens. I checked my mirror.  
"Dammit!" I sighed to myself, "Not now..."  
I pulled over to the side of the road and waited. I heard the police officer's door open, then slam shut. I listened to his footsteps after I rolled down my window and I waited. I remained as calm as possible despite my pounding heart.  
"Hello, sir." I smiled, trying my hand at being polite. Maybe it'll get me somewhere.  
He glared at me through narrow eyes, "Son do you realize you were almost twenty miles over the speed limit?"  
"I was?" I acted shocked. He nodded. I sat silently for a minute, "But the speed limit is..."  
"25 mph," The officer finished sternly.  
I hit myself in the head, "Ooooh! That makes sense! 25 miles an hour..."  
"What makes sense?" the officer asked impatiently. I looked back up at him, "You see sir, I'm dyslexic. So when the speed limit said 25, I saw 52. Of course....limit was spelled wrong too so that should have been my first clue..."  
"Dyslexia huh?" the officer asked through narrow eyes. I nodded innocently. "I have to go to a tutor at school. I have trouble reading."  
He glared at me for a good five seconds before his expression softened, "Alright. But in any case, I'm still going to need to see your license."  
"Sure, sure. Of course." I nodded reaching for my wallet. I handed my "license" to him and concentrated on my breathing to keep from giving myself away. Finally the officer turned back to me, "Since this is your first offense, Mr....Poynter, I'll let you off with a warning. Just....work on your reading. Got it?"  
"Sure, I'll try my best." I smiled. He handed my my license and I grinned at him, "Have a nice day officer."  
"You too, Dougie." he actually smiled back. I waited for him to get back into his car and drive away then I laughed and shook my head, "Dyslexia?" I asked myself, "Dougie, you are a genius."

After that I drove at the speed limit, a rarity for me, just to be on the safe side. One scare was bad enough. My phone started ringing so I turned down the volume on my stereo and pulled out my piece of crap cell phone.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey, Doug." it was Danny.  
"Hey. How'd things go today?" I asked him. I hadn't heard from him all day and I had been nervous.  
"Good, good," he smiled through the phone, "Next time you see that punk you won't recognize him. We got him pretty good."  
I laughed, "Cheers, mate. I owe you one. Big time."  
"No worries," he told me, "Think of it as a friendly gesture to a good pal and an excuse to get out of school to beat someone's ass. I'd never turn down that offer. Besides, after what Charlie did to you we should have murdered him on the spot. You'd do the same for me, right? So you don't owe me anything."  
I laughed again, "Yeah. Well, thanks anyway."  
"No problem. So, you got my sister home, then?" Danny asked.  
"Yup," I told him, "She's safe at home."  
"You didn't pull any stunts on her, did you?" he asked, half joking.  
"No, I didn't. Don't worry, Danny." I told him.  
"Good," he said, "Listen, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later today, okay?"  
"Alright, cool. See ya."  
So Danny took care of Charlie. I should feel better about this. I should be happy that we got even with him. All my worries should be gone. An eye for an eye, right? He got what he deserved and he knows what it was like to be me. So why did I have a terrible feeling in my stomach about this?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Some Kind of Hercules.**

"Hello, Shay. How was school?" My brother asked as he stepped in the door later that night. I shrugged, "Not bad."  
"Did Doug get you home safe?" he asked me.  
"Do you realize that you are a complete idiot?" I asked him. He gave me a puzzled look, "What?"  
"You put me in a car with a fifteen year old! FIFTEEN DANNY!" I shouted at him. To be honest, it wasn't that bad of a drive. It was actually pretty fun, not to mention Dougie is extremely fit but what was Danny thinking putting me in a moving vehicle with that kid? I could have been killed.  
"Relax!" Danny laughed, "You're not dead are you?"  
I shook my head.  
"So what are you complaining about? Dougie's a good driver." Danny told me as he swiped an apple off the kitchen counter. He bit into it and his phone started ringing. "Hello?" he asked with his mouth full. He listened for a minute then choked on his apple.  
"What?" he asked coughing. He listened again, then his face broke into a smile, "You're kidding. Dude, you are an absolute genius."  
"What?" I asked him/ Danny didn't answer. I sighed and waited. Danny said a few other things then hung up.  
"What??" I asked again. He laughed, "Dougie got pulled over after he dropped you off. Cop busted him for speeding."  
"Oh my god, what happened? That isn't funny!" I told Danny. Was Dougie going to get arrested for having a fake license?  
"Get this - They didn't arrest him. Just let him off with a warning. Guess how he did it?" Danny asked. HE was really getting a kick out of this but I was worried about Dougie.  
"How?"  
"He told the cop he was dyslexic!" Danny laughed. Soon I started giggling too, "And he bought it?"  
"I guess," Danny told me, "The kid is a genius."  
I shook my head and climbed the stairs to my room. I replayed the afternoon over and over again in my head. Well, not the entire afternoon. Just the car ride home.  
Dougie Poynter.  
The name gave me butterflies. It was like some sort of rockstar name or something. Or maybe a movie star. He had the looks of a movie star anyway. Who was I kidding? He had the looks of some sort of Greek god who was sent down to earth by accident. Like Hercules.  
I drifted off to sleep thinking of him. I thought it was a little unhealthy to like a boy this much .Especially one that I just met and knew nothing about. But could you blame me? He was gorgeous.  
The next day at school my best friends Sasha and Caitlin ran up to me, "Oh my god, we heard you drove home in a car with Dougie Poynter." Sasha screamed.  
"Sure," I shrugged like it was no big deal.  
"Like, the Dougie Poynter!" Sasha squealed again. I nodded with a smile on my face.  
"Who's Dougie Poynter?" Caitlin asked. Sasha and I stared at her. "You're kidding, right?"  
"He's that gorgeous sophomore with the light hair and the lip ring." Sasha explained, "And the six pack...and those amazing blue eyes....and that smile....and..."  
"Sasha!" I snapped my fingers, "We get it."  
"Oh him," Caitlin nodded, "OH MY GOD! You drove home with that kid!?"  
I rolled my eyes, "Yes. He's my brother's best friend, okay? It's not big deal."  
Sasha turned to Caitlin, "We need to get some older brothers with hot friends."  
After seventh period Sasha and Caitlin walked me to my locker. And who was standing there but the one and only Dougie Poynter. Caitlin squeezed my arm and she and Sasha did all they could to keep from screaming. I rolled my eyes, "Hi Dougie."  
"Hey," he nodded. Why was that boy so perfect? "Listen, I'm driving you home again today."  
"Okay," I nodded, "But...Danny's here today..."  
"I know," Dougie smiled. I smiled too. Who would turn down an offer from him?  
I said goodbye to my friends who were grinning from ear to ear. Sasha made me promise to call her when I got home. I told her I would.  
"So I'm ready to answer your question," Dougie told me as we started to drive away."  
"What question?" I asked.  
"You asked how I met Danny. I'm ready to answer."  
"Oh," I nodded, "Okay."  
"So...it pretty much started like this...."

_**Flashback - Dougie's POV**_

_The bell had rung and we all shot up out of our seats and rushed for our lockers. Teachers were at every door waiting. Watching. Things had gotten pretty strict since the 'incident.' A few weeks back someone had spray painted the word "fuck" in huge letters along the back wall of the school in blue paint. The teachers have been trying to catch the culprit and they weren't going to give up.  
So I headed outside and began my walk home. This was before I had a car to drive so I had to walk. I made it about a block away from school before I head someone shouting from behind me.  
"Hey, Poynter!" I turned around face to face with Charlie. He was almost a head taller than I was considering I'm pretty short to begin with.  
"Did you tell the principal I tagged the school?" he asked me. I turned around and kept walking, "I didn't say shit," I said to my feet.  
"Well they think I did it!" He shouted.  
"Well if you're innocent you got nothin' to worry about, right?" I asked. Then in the blink of an eye, I was on the ground with a knife pressed to my neck.  
"You know what I think?" Charlie asked through his teeth, "I think you did it."  
And the knife cut into my neck. I coughed and Charlie got up, kicked me in the side, then ran off with his friends. I just stayed on the ground. I felt like I couldn't move. Then I heard a few kids.  
"Wonder what happened?" One said in a thick accent.  
"Oh s***, over here dude. Look." Another pointed out and they ran over to me.  
"Hey," Danny nudged me, "Hey, kid you okay?"  
"No he's not okay!" Tom said, "Looks like someone cut him. Bad."  
Blood was already soaking my shirt. "I'm fine," I choked out. But Danny took of his shirt, then his undershirt and pressed it to my neck. I watched as the perfectly white undershirt turned a crimson color.  
The three of them helped me up and took me back to Harry's house. It was sheer luck his dad was a doctor._

I sat silently. Dougie just smiled, "Wanna see the scar?" he asked then lifted his head and showed me his neck. Sure enough there was a scar underneath it. He didn't even seem to care either. I wondered how bad that must have hurt. Probably a lot, I mean he got his throat slit for crying out loud. I made up my mind. He must have been some type of Hercules.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - Kidnapping My Sister?**

"Where are we going exactly?" Shayna asked me after a few minutes of silence. I think my story scared her a bit. But she's the one who asked. Besides, I was fine so it didn't matter.  
I had taken what I like to call the "scenic route" home from school. Not because I liked wasting my gas on the long way home, but because I wanted to spend every minute I had free with Shay.  
"Home." I told her, "This way's quicker. I think..."  
Way to lie to the girl you like, Doug. A voice told me. I shook it out of my head. Shay just nodded, "okay."  
"So....does Danny know I'm with you?" she asked after a second. Shit...  
As if Danny had heard us, my phone rang. I swallowed hard and braced for impact. "Hello?"  
"What the hell?" he asked.  
"Danny I..."  
"Have you seen Shay?" he asked me. He sounded worried.  
"Yeah...she uh...she's with me." I told him carefully. Shay looked at me, "Is that Danny?"  
I nodded. "Dude. You kidnapped my little sister?" He didn't sound mad. Not at all actually. He almost seemed to be holding back laughter.  
"I...uhm..." I didn't know how to answer him. "Yes?"  
"Alright then. Cool with me," he laughed, "kidding. Tell her she's gotta come home. We're going to dinner with my parents in a little bit. So have her home? I mean I know kidnappers generally like have their way with the person they take or whatever but this is crucial that she's home." he laughed.  
"Damn, you caught onto my plan." I laughed, "sure. I'll be there in a little bit. Later."  
"Later, dude." I turned to Shay, "Apparently you're going to dinner tonight. So I have to get you home."  
"Oh..." she hung her head, "Alright."  
I almost heard disappointment in her voice, but maybe my head was just playing games with me. I tend to get full of myself when it comes to girls.  
"What, you don't wanna go?" I asked her turning away from the road for a minute.  
"God no." she groaned, "I'd rather just stay with you."  
I turned back to the road and smiled. I'd rather she stayed with me too. "Well I'm under strict orders to bring you home now," I told her, "If I don't you're brother will probably kill me."  
"Oh what a shame," she laughed sarcastically. I looked back at her, "Shayna Jones, what are you trying to say?"  
"Nothing, nothing," she giggled. My heart quickened when I heard her laugh.  
"Wellp," I said bringing the car to a stop, "You're home."  
"You can't do this to me," Shay joked, "I don't want to go to dinner!"  
"Oh cry about it," I laughed. She punched me in the shoulder and opened the door, "Well...see you tomorrow then."  
"Yeah. Later," I waved. She shut the door and ran to her back door. Danny came out of it and walked over to my car. He leaned his head in through the open window. I didn't turn to him. I just watched Shay walk inside.  
"Dude," Danny said, "Dougie!"  
"Yeah?" I whipped my head around to face him. He laughed, "You okay? You spaced out there for a sec."  
"Yeah...I'm alright." I told him.  
"Girl troubles?" he guessed. He knew me better than I knew myself sometimes. I sighed, "Yeah. You could say that."  
"Well listen, what are you doing tomorrow night?" he asked. Tomorrow was a Friday.  
"Nothin'" I shrugged, "Why?"  
"The guys and I are gonna go toilet paper Mrs. Casey's house." he laughed. Mrs. Casey was our bitch of a language arts teacher. I grinned, "Mate, didn't you stop rolling houses in like seventh grade?"  
"Sure," he shrugged, "But come on, dude. It'll be fun!"  
"Yeah yeah, I'll be there." I gave in. I guess it would be pretty fun to see the look on her face on Monday and to hear her long rant on how pissed she was. Plus it will probably get my mind off Shay,  
_You can't do this Dougie. She's Danny's sister. Pull it together man!_  
"Cool," Danny grinned, "Tom and I are going to stock up on toilet paper tonight and I'll call you tomorrow, alright?"  
"Sure." I nodded, "See ya."  
I pulled out of his driveway and headed toward my house. When I got home, I arrived to the usual. My folks fighting. No surprise there. Only today I really wasn't in the mood for it. I sighed and left the house once again. I figured a walk would get my mind off of everything.  
I pulled my sweatshirt hood over my head, pulled a pack of cigarettes out of my jeans pockets, lit one up, and walked down the road. I usually wasn't one to smoke but lately I've been so stressed. Plus I was practically freezing my balls off outside.  
I turned down the road and went to cross behind this lady on her cell phone, probably in her mid thirties or forties, when I saw a truck coming down the road. This lady was about to get hit so I ran out behind her and shoved her as hard as I could, then ran out of the road. The truck never stopped. Asshole.  
"Holy shit, lady, you okay?" I asked, real concerned. I figured she'd thank me for saving her life. But you wanna know what she says to me?  
"Why the hell did you push me?"  
I couldn't believe the nerve of this woman. "You were about to get hit by a truck!" I told her.  
"I didn't see any truck." she said stubbornly.  
"That's because you were on your cell phone!" I shouted. "If people like you weren't on your cell phone maybe you would have seen the damn car!"  
"I'd like to know your name son, and I'll have a talk with your parents." she told me. I had just about had it with her.  
"Yeah and I'd like to have YOUR name so I could have a talk with the government about STUPID people who cant see cars because there so BUSY talking on their fucking CELL PHONES!" I shouted, "You could have been killed and I saved your life!"  
"You should have just let me go," she said.  
"Maybe I should have. You know why? 'Cause you'd have been KILLED!"  
And she glared at me. Just glared. Then finally pulled the cigarette out of my mouth and threw it to the ground, "There. Now I saved your life."  
And she walked away. I couldn't even see straight. Who did she think she was?  
"Bitch!!" I shouted, then stuffed my hands in my pockets and continued walking. People don't know when they're getting help even if it hits them right in the face.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5 - Go ahead, Pull the Trigger.  
Shay's POV**

"Shay!" my mother called, "Danny! Hurry up! We have to pick up Nana and Papa."  
Great. My grandparents were coming. Nana and Papa were my mom's mom and dad. I had never met my father's parents because my grandma died after I was born and my grandpa died well before my parents had even met. He was killed in a car accident. Drunk driver I guess.  
"Shayna!" My Nana greeted me giving me a massive hug. I cringed. The way she said my name, Shayna just gave me chills. I didn't like being called by my full name in the first place. Just plain old Shay worked fine. But they way my Nana said it had some weird creepy edge to it.  
"Hi Nana," I grumbled. My Papa hugged me next. Danny looked just as awkward as I did when he was hugged. Danny wasn't big on hugs.  
The waitress led us to a table and I slid into the booth next to my brother. The two of us slouched in our seats and braced for possibly the most boring night of our lives.  
"God, we've been here all but ten minutes and I'm ready to shoot myself," Danny mumbled to me. I stifled a laugh.  
"Shayna," - I cringed - "How's high school, dear?" My Nana asked me.  
"Fine," I told her with a fake smile.  
"Is Danny showing you around and making sure you know where everything is?" she asked. I nodded and so did Danny.  
"Good," Nana smiled, "And what about you, Danny, do you like school?"  
"Sure," he shrugged, "It's alright."  
"Son, you look like you have a scratch under your eye," my Papa pointed out to my brother. Danny instantly shot his hand up to his eye. I didn't even notice it until now. "What happened?"  
"I uh...I don't know. It was probably Jasper." Jasper was our dog. I didn't believe Danny. I shot him a look but he just tapped my arm, he'd tell me later.  
Soon our dinner - rather everyone else's dinner - was set at the table and the talking seemed to lessen. Danny looked up after a few minutes, "Mom, I have a headache. You mind if I go stand outside for a minute?"  
"Sure, go ahead, Danny." My mom nodded. I shot my head up, "I'm gonna go with him."  
We got outside and I started questioning my brother, "Danny, what happened?"  
"Fight," he told me simply. I looked closer. Not only was his eye scratched, it was bruised pretty bad.  
"Dougie said you were fine," I said, "How - "  
"What was Dougie doing telling you what happened anyway? I was hoping you wouldn't find out." Danny explained.  
"Why?" I asked.  
"Because," he sighed, "I don't know. I don't want you to think I'm some kind of bad guy getting into all these fights."  
"Well Charlie deserved it after what he did to Doug." I said Danny looked back at me, "He told you that too?"  
I nodded.  
"Well," Danny sighed, "I should have assumed you would have found out sooner or later."  
"You know, I never noticed that your eye was bruised." I pointed out as Danny and I made our way back inside. He sort of laughed, "Yeah well, I kind of used some of your make up to cover it up."  
I laughed too.  
"You tell anyone and you die, you know that right?" Danny laughed. I nodded, "Sure, Danny."  
Finally, Finally after what seemed like an endless night, we were headed home. I was relieved that tomorrow was a day off. I didn't think I could last another day at school.  
My brother's phone rang on the drive home. "Hey...Yeah, almost, why?...Oh...Yeah, sure dude come over whenever...yeah...I'll see you in a little bit...Later."  
And he hung up. I wondered what that was all about.  
When I got home I grabbed my sweatpants and a t-shirt and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. It was starting to get cold out and it was positively freezing inside my house. A hot shower would feel good.  
I stood under the hot water for longer than I really needed to. Then I shut the water off and stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel and began drying my hair. I thought I heard someone walking outside the door. I was probably just hearing things.  
Or not.  
The door opened and when I saw who was standing there I screamed and instantly threw the towel back around me, "Get out!" I shouted.  
"I...er...I...." Dougie's face flushed bright red and he slapped his hand over his eyes, "S-sorry...I err...I was..."  
"Out!" I shouted again.  
"Sorry sorry!" he apologized again the turned around and slammed right into the doorframe. It would have been cute except for the fact that possibly the most gorgeous guy I have ever met just saw me naked.  
He managed to leave the room and I leaned against the sink to wait for my heart to slow down. God, just kill me now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6 - Lizard Boy.  
Dougie's POV**

"You what?!" Danny shouted at me.  
"Dude it was a total accident, I swear!" I held my hands up. He would have killed me. I mean, it's not my fault Shay was in the shower. How was I supposed to know? And the fact I saw her naked, well, that wasn't my fault either. I mean if you see a girl naked chances are you're going to look twice. It's just the way it goes and any guy knows that. Of course, the girl being Danny's sister must have hit a sore spot.  
"I could kill you." Danny told me.  
"It was an accident!" I repeated for nearly the hundredth time, "I swear, dude! You think I want to see your little sister naked?" Danny crossed his arms and glared at me.  
"Okay...don't answer that." I said, "But really! I didn't mean to!"  
"You could have knocked, you know." A voice said. The both of us turned around to see Shay at the top of the stairs in sweatpants and a mickey mouse t-shirt. My face instantly reddened.  
"Alright, how bout we forget this happened?" I suggested.  
"Good idea." Shay agreed. Danny nodded, "If you weren't my best friend, I'd murder you." he joked putting me in a headlock. I punched his stomach, "Yeah yeah."  
"Where's mom and dad?" Shay asked joining Danny and I in the living room.  
"They went back to Nana and Papa's house. I guess Nana left her purse in the car or something. Of course, you know how mom is. I reckon they won't be back for a while."  
Shay nodded. It felt awkward to be around her so I turned to Danny, "So are we going or what?"  
"We have to wait to Tom to call," Danny told me.  
"Where are you guys going?" Shay asked.  
"To buy toilet paper," Danny told her.  
"and energy drinks." I added.  
"And candy," Danny threw in.  
"And cigarettes," I finished. Danny and Shay glared at me. "What?"  
"You really ought to quit," Danny told me, "That shit's so bad for you."  
"You smoke," I told him. Danny rolled his eyes, "Not NEARLY as much as you do."  
"I'm coming," Shay told us. Danny and I looked at each other. "No way," Danny shook his head, "You can't."  
"Why?" Shay asked.  
"Because," Danny shrugged, "If we get caught I don't want you in any police trouble. No way."  
"Oh, come on!" she begged, "It's the least you can do after what Dougie did tonight."  
Both of them turned to me. My face got red again. "Oh, this is hardly fair!" I shouted, "You can't hold that against me!"  
"She has a point," Danny pointed out, "Fine. You can come. But here are the rules. You see a car coming you hide. You hear anyone inside stop what you're doing and wait for me and Tom to tell you what to do. Most importantly, you see the cops RUN."  
"I got it, I got it." Shay told him.  
Tom called shortly after that and he Harry walked over. I assumed we'd be walking since Tom and Harry didn't have cars and Danny couldn't take his because he was almost out of gas and didn't have enough money to refill the tank.  
There was hardly anyone in the store except a younger guy working behind the counter. He looked a little scared when we walked in. Tom Harry and Danny headed to the back to buy as much toilet paper as the could afford, we were going to get this house good. It was me and Shay's job to get food, energy drinks, and my cigarettes, which I'd have to steal considering I was too young to actually buy any tobacco.  
"Listen," I said to Shay when we were alone, "Sorry about earlier. I just...I didn't know you were in there and then when I found out you were in there it was too late and then I tried to leave but I hit my head and..." I was talking so fast I'm sure she couldn't understand me. She just giggled, "It's fine."  
While the guys were paying, I grabbed a pack of cigarettes while the cashier was distracted. It wasn't exactly hard.  
"What are you boys planning on doing with all this toilet paper?" The cashier asked.  
"I plan to wipe my ass with it,sir." Danny told him. The guys and I stifled our laughter.  
"With nearly fifty rolls of it?" The cashier asked again. Danny shrugged, "Well, I'll stock up now and it'll save me a few trips in the long run."  
By the time we had paid for everything and were out of the store, all of us were doubled over laughing.  
"So when are we doing this?" Shay asked. All the guys looked at Danny when Shay said we. Danny just rolled his eyes, silently saying she was coming. I lit up a cigarette then stuffed my hands in my pockets. I should have brought a jacket.  
"Tomorrow," Tom told her, then turned to Danny, "So we're really gonna go through with it then?"  
"Hell yeah we are. Dude, she deserves it." Danny laughed. We all started to get really pumped after that. We were joking around on the way home. Tom was in the middle of a story, but stopped mid-sentence when we saw who was in front of us.  
"Well, well, well...If it isn't the Lizard Boy and all his little friends."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7 - You had it coming.  
Shay's POV**

I looked at the three boys standing in front of us and swallowed hard. Dougie stared at the ground, his hand stuffed deep in his pockets. I could tell right then that he was scared out of his mind.  
"Fuck off, Simpson," Danny told him angrily. "We don't have time for this."  
"Oooh," the three boys laughed, "Scary."  
"Charlie, I thought we taught you a lesson." Danny said, "Don't mess with us."  
"You didn't teach me anything." Charlie said, "Except that we're going to have to get even with you." His friends nodded. I'd seen those three boys around school. Charlie, Matt and James.  
Dougie stepped forward. "Charlie, you can do what you want to me, but leave my friends out of this. They didn't do anything."  
"Guilt by association," Charlie said simply. "Besides, you're friend Danny here is the one who picked the fight the other day."  
"Bullshit, you had it coming!" Danny shouted at him, "After what you did to Doug-"  
"After what we did to Doug..." Charlie mocked him, "Ha. That's funny. You didn't even know Poynter before we jumped him, so why are you sticking up for him now, huh?"  
"Because he's our friend," Tom told him.  
"Sure, sure." Charlie laughed, "Friend."  
Charlie reached into his back pocket and instantly Danny shoved me behind him, "You don't want to do this, mate." Danny said  
Charlie pulled his hand out of his pocket and in his hand was a switchblade. My heart skipped a beat. Charlie grimaced, "Yes. I do."  
"Run," Danny told me. I had stayed completely silent this whole time.  
"Where?" I asked him. I was shaking by this time.  
"I don't care," Danny whispered, "Anywhere. Just run."  
So I did. I turned around and ran as fast as I could in the other direction. I didn't get far, I was tackled from behind and hit the sidewalk.  
"So, Danny, you recruited your sister?" Charlie asked. He was the one who had tackled me.  
Danny clenched his hands into fists and hit Charlie as hard as he could. That didn't get him off me, though. He slung his arm around my neck, choking me. I coughed and tried to pry his arm off me, but it was no use. I wasn't strong enough. I closed my eyes and prayed something would happen, anything would happen. I was losing breath fast and I knew Danny and Harry were trying their best to get me away from Charlie.  
But before I knew it, my head was slammed into the sidewalk and everything went black.

************

I woke up I don't know how much later, but I was laying in Danny's lap. I opened my eyes and sat up.  
"Shay. Shay you alright?" Danny asked. I nodded. I looked around and saw Harry and Tom sitting on the ground next to Danny and Dougie standing up not too far from them. He looked absolutely terrified. His eyes were fixed on the ground and I followed his gaze and nearly threw up when I saw what he was staring at.  
On the sidewalk was Charlie surrounded by a puddle of blood. I looked back up at Dougie who had the knife in his hand. He looked up from Charlie and turned to face me.  
"I killed him..."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - Runaways  
Shay's POV **

I followed my brother and his killer friend into the cold and down to the railroad tracks. Danny planned to hop the train then take it all the way to Bolton. We had enough money to pay for a cab or something when we got there to take us to Elliot's house.  
"I suppose you think I'm some kind of monster then, huh?" Dougie asked me quietly as we walked along in the dark. I looked up at him, "Why would you think that?"  
"Shay, have you been around for the past hour? I just killed someone," he reminded me. He flinched at the word 'kill.'  
"So?" I shrugged.  
"So?!" he asked, "Shay, I stabbed him and let him bleed to death! You don't care?"  
"Not really," I shrugged, "You only did it to save me. So thanks." I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him. I wanted to cry. I had so many things bottled up inside I just wanted to cry. I was happy I was alive for one thing, and that couldn't have happened without Dougie. But now we were runaways and we could get caught or thrown in jail.  
"Come on guys," Danny said after a minute, "We have to get on this train now so we can make it to Elliot's before sunrise."  
We made it to the train tracks where the next train to Bolton was stopped. Danny stood as lookout while Dougie and I climbed inside. Then Danny hopped in and we waited.  
It was dark where we were. It must have been some sort of storage area or something. After a few minutes of waiting in silence, the train began to move.  
"Danny," Dougie said shakily, "H-how long do you think we'll have to stay out here?"  
"I dunno," Danny answered, "Hopefully not long. But..." he trailed off at the end. I laid my head on Dougie's shoulder and my eyes slowly closed and before I knew it, the movement of the train finally put me to sleep.

"Shay," someone shook my arm, "Shay wake up."  
_Thank God._ I thought,_ Just a dream. An awful dream. I should have guessed. Dougie would never kill anybody._  
"I'm up, I'm up," I grumbled as I opened my eyes. Only I wasn't in my bedroom. I was still in that train we had snuck onto the night before. So maybe it wasn't a dream.  
"Come on, we're here." Danny told me. He and Dougie hopped out of the train, then helped me down and we made a run for it. We walked for a few minutes into town.  
"So do you remember where Elliot lives?" I asked Danny. He shook his head, "Nope."  
"Great." I said sarcastically, "Then how do you suppose we get there?"  
"Uhh...." Danny thought for a minute, "I got it. I have his cell number. I'll just call him, tell him we were in town and wanted to stop by."  
"And then we wanted to hide out in his house for a while..." Dougie finished, rolling his eyes, "Danny he's never going to agree to this. He'll turn me in!"  
"You've never met Elliot," Danny laughed as he dialed the phone, "He won't turn you in."  
We all waited as Danny stood with the phone pressed to his ear. "Elliot?" he asked, then smiled, "Hey! It's Danny. Shay and I wanted to stop by and visit you only we kinda forget your address...."  
So Danny reached into his pocket and handed me a pen and told me to write the address down. I didn't have any paper so I just scribbled it on my arm. Danny hung up, and we started walking.  
"Why don't we just find a taxi?" Dougie suggested, "It'll be faster."  
"Yeah, but it's cheaper to walk." Danny reminded him, "Besides, we're almost there."  
Only two hours and several million blocks later, we were still walking. "Danny, get a cab," I told him.  
"Fine," he sighed and managed to flag one down. We all piled into the backseat and Danny told the driver the address.  
"So," the driver said, trying to make conversation, "What are you three doing out so early on a Saturday morning by yourselves? You're not running away from home are you?" he laughed.  
Dougie shot me and Danny a nervous look. Danny elbowed him in the side.  
"No," Danny smiled, "We're just headed to visit an old friend of ours."  
And then it hit me. I mean it really hit me. We weren't running away because we were mad at our parents or something like that. We were murderers. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.  
"Shay, you alright?" Dougie asked me. I opened one eye and looked at him, "I'm scared."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 - Oh, The Irony.  
Dougie's POV**

"Dannyboy!" The tall brunette embraced Danny after Danny had knocked on the door to his flat, "How's everything?"  
"Good," Danny's voice was muffled because his face was shoved into Elliot's shoulder. Danny finally broke away from Elliot's massive bear hug.  
"Shay! Is that you?" Elliot asked, looking honestly stunned, "You look so beautiful, come give your favorite cousin a hug," Shay laughed and let Elliot give her another massive bear hug. She giggled, "Hi Elliot. Good to see you too."  
"So what brings the two...err...three of you to Bolton. Do you mind me asking who your friend is?" Elliot asked.  
"This is my good friend Dougie. Dougie, this is Elliot." Danny said.  
"Nice to meet you, Dougie." Elliot smiled, offering me his hand. I took it, "You too."  
"So, that brings up my first question, what beings you three up here?"  
"Err...maybe we should discuss this inside," Danny said nervously.  
"Oh, sure, sure." Elliot led us into his flat. The first thing I noticed was that his coffee table was piled with beer cans. Piled was maybe the wrong word, but there were quite a few.  
"Have a seat," he said, taking a seat himself. Danny and I took the couch, Shay sat on the floor.  
"Well, you see...we're in a bit of trouble," Danny started. He proceeded to tell Elliot the story of what happened the previous night. When he was finished, Elliot turned to me.  
"You killed him?" he asked. I hung my head. "yeah." I muttered.  
"For Shay?" he asked. I nodded to the floor.  
"Wow," he said, "You have guts kid. Amazing."  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I looked up, "What?"  
"Yeah," Elliot smiled, "You killed someone to save Shay's life. That was a ballsy thing to do."  
"So you'll hide us here for a while?" Danny asked hopefully. Elliot nodded enthusiastically, "Sure sure. Of course I will. You guys are welcome here anytime you want. 'Course I only have one guest room, but you guys will figure something out. And...I'm usually not home long considering I'm at school during the day and at work at night, but that's not a problem. You're more than welcome here."  
"Thanks so much" I said. "You have no idea how grateful I am."  
"Anything for the man who saved my baby cousin," He smiled putting an arm around Shay.  
The rest of the day was pretty easygoing. We watched movies and played poker betting with pieces of candy that Elliot had leftover from Halloween. Around six he stood up, "Well, I'm headed to work. I'll be home late, don't wait up for me if you don't want. Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge. There's probably beer left in there. I won't tell if you don't" he winked  
"Ok, bye Elliot," Danny waved. He left the house and I turned to Danny and Shay. "What's his job?"  
"Bartender," the answered in unison. Why didn't that surprise me?  
"Well," I stood up, "I'm getting a drink. Anyone want anything?"  
"I'll just have a soda," Shay said, "If he has any."  
Danny?" I asked. He sighed, "Get me a beer.  
I drank most of the night, I guess out of my own self pity. Danny and Shay kept telling me, "Dougie, stop," "Dougie, you've had enough."  
Only I didn't listen. When do I ever listen?  
And When I really should listen, I never do. I should have listened to them that night because I spent half the night bent over the toilet. Funny enough, I took a bottle of beer in there with me. I'd throw up, have another sip of beer, only to throw up again. Danny or Shay would sit with me. I'd keep telling them I was fine, but who was I kidding?  
"Dougie?" Shay knocked on the door after about my fifth trip to the bathroom. I spit a few times, "What?"  
"You okay?"  
"I keep telling you, I'm fine." My words were slurred and I knew I was wasted.  
"No you aren't." she said taking a tiny step inside. I gave her a weak smile, "I'm not gonna throw up again, if that's what you're worried about. I think I'm alright now."  
"Dougie, why are you doing this to yourself?" she asked taking a seat next to me.  
"I'm not doing anything." I told her.  
"Doug, look at yourself." she said helping me up as I stumbled to the sink and stared at myself in the mirror. My blonde hair was disheveled and my eyes were bloodshot. "Please stop, Dougie." Shay whispered, tears in her eyes. "I don't want to see you become an alcoholic at age 15."  
"I'm_ fine_" I said, "You and Danny need to leave me alone!"  
"Dougie, we're just trying to save you." she said.  
"Save me from what? Shay, I'm not dying." I told her. She got angry, "To save you from yourself. Some people don't know when they're getting help even if it hits them in the face." she turned on her heal and left the room.  
Now where have I heard that before?


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 - Why is There Always a 'Good' In 'Goodnight'?  
Shay**

"How is he?" Danny asked me as I left the bathroom yet again. I plopped onto the couch, "An asshole."  
"Whoa." Danny said, wide-eyed, "A little hostile, aren't we?"  
"Does it matter? I'm trying to help him and all he does is push me away. Says he doesn't want it." I sighed.  
"Shay, he barely knows what he's saying, have you seen how much this kid has drank tonight?" Danny said with a small grin. I just crossed my arms and let tears flood my eyes. I hated seeing Dougie like this. My dad drank a lot and I hated seeing him like that as well.  
"Don't cry..." Danny said, "I'll go talk to him."  
"Don't bother," I mumbled, "Do it tomorrow if anything. He won't remember anyway."  
Just then, Dougie left the bathroom rubbing his eyes, shirtless and his hair was a mess.  
"Dougie? How ya feeling, buddy?" Danny asked. He just grumbled something then kept walking. He fell forward but I shot in front of him to steady him. "You, my friend, need sleep. Come with me."  
I slung Dougie's arm around my neck and half dragged him into the guest bedroom. When we got there I set him down on the bed and he laid his head down on the pillows. I helped him get his shoes off, then I tossed them on the floor.  
"Now go to sleep," I said, feeling like I was babysitting a nine year old. Dougie looked at me, "Shay?"  
"Yeah?" I sighed.  
"Thanks, Shay," his words all slurred together, "I love you."  
I rolled my eyes. As much as I wish he meant it I knew it was the alcohol talking. "Sure, Dougie. I love you too. Now go to sleep before I have Danny come in here and beat you up, got it?"  
"Yes ma'am." he mumbled. I switched off the light then shut the door behind me.  
"He okay?" Danny asked. I nodded, "He'll be fine."  
I sighed and fell back on the couch, "Danny, I'm worried about him."  
"Shay, he'll be fine in the morning. Just let him sleep." He said, obviously not getting what I meant.  
"No." I shook my head, "Not just that. I mean....everything. He seems...I don't know, like he's depressed or something. He's gone through a lot in the past week and I'm worried."  
"Yeah." Danny sighed, sitting next to me, "I know what you mean. The poor kid's been through a lot, not just this week, but his whole life."  
We both sat in silence for a few seconds before we heard Dougie singing loud and off key from the next room, _"Ohhh I don't wanna be told to grow up! And I don't wanna change, I just wanna have FUN!!"_  
Danny and I started laughing by this time. When we finally caught our breath Danny sighed, "Yeah, he's been through a lot. I just don't want to see him end up in jail. You know if we do..."  
"yeah." I nodded. None of us needed to say it. 'If we do get caught.'  
Danny's phone started ringing after a few minutes. He checked the caller ID. Tom. He answered, then set it on the table in front of us on Speakerphone so I could hear.  
"Danny?" Tom asked from the other end.  
"Hey, Tom, what's going on?"  
"Your mom's a mess, man. She's called my mom and Haz's mom a few million times in tears wondering where the hell you were. Neither of us cracked, but when she heard about the murder and then you two went missing well..."  
"Don't crack." Danny warned, "I love my mom to death, but don't crack."  
"I won't. Harry won't either. We wouldn't do that to you." Tom assured us, "But...well the cops have been trying real hard since last night to come up with anything. You're lucky Matt and James are scared of you because they haven't turned you in."  
Danny smiled, "Excellent. Well, we're safe then, right?"  
"I guess. I mean, until things die down, you gotta stay up with Elliot but so far the cops have no leads." Tom said.  
"Good. Thanks man. I miss ya," Danny said.  
"Me too," Tom said sadly, "Tell Dougie and Shay I say hi,"  
"Hi Tom!" I said into the phone.  
"Hi Shay. How are you holding up?" he asked. Tom was as much of my big brother as Danny was. I smiled, "Fine. I'm the only sane one in the place right now."  
"Sane?" Tom asked.  
"Doug's drunk," Danny explained. I could just see Tom slowly shaking his head. "Oh."  
"Well, thanks for the info man, I'll call in a few days, alright?" Danny said.  
"Sure. Good luck guys. See ya." He hung up.  
"Well," I sighed, "I'm going to sleep." I walked to the closet and found a blanket then spread across the couch, "You staying up?"  
"Y-yeah...I'll be up for a little bit. Night Shay." Danny said slowly. I nodded, "Sure. Goodnight."  
_Goodnight_. Probably a bad thing to say at that time considering this night was anything but good.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 - Promise Me.  
Dougie**

I woke up the next morning with a construction site going on in my head. Or that's what it felt like anyway. I opened my eyes slowly letting the light coming from my window flood my vision. I instantly put my head to my hands and groaned. When my vision cleared I looked around. Where was I? Did I hit my head last night? I guess that would explain the headache and the memory loss. I blinked a few times and sat up, only to be forced to fall back on the bed because of the head rush I got.  
"Morning," A voice said from the doorway. I groaned again.  
"How ya feeling?" they asked. I just groaned again, "Shitty."  
They laughed, "Yeah, it figures."  
Then I remembered everything. It hit me like a wave and all the memories came flooding back to me. I was in Danny's cousin's house in Bolton with a hangover because I drank too much the night before because I was feeling bad for myself. And why was I feeling bad for myself? Because I killed someone. The thought of that made my stomach turn.  
"Don't EVER let me drink like that again," I grumbled. Danny sat on the edge of my bed, "I tried man. We both tried. You wouldn't listen."  
"So beat me up next time," I said. Danny laughed again. He obviously didn't think I was kidding.  
Soon a new voice was at the door, "Morning boys. And how are we feeling?" It was Elliot. I groaned.  
"Danny Jones, was there drinking going on last night?" Elliot asked pretending to be angry.  
"Drinking? At your house? Gee Elliot, we wouldn't do that. That NEVER happens here or anything." Danny said sarcastically. Elliot laughed, "I see Dougie had a little too much fun."  
"Never again." I mumbled, "I am never drinking again."  
"Yeah, that's what I said and look how I turned out," Elliot gave me a goofy grin. "Anyway, I'm off to school. Dougie, get some rest. Help yourself to any food that's around here. I need to go shopping..." he added as an afterthought.  
"Alright, see ya later." Danny waved. Elliot walked out the door. I stared at the clock on the wall. It was past 1pm.  
"Listen, Dougie, we need to talk." Danny turned back to me. I gave him a weak grin, "You sound like my ex-girlfriend. What, are you breaking up with me?"  
"Aw, come on this is serious Doug." Danny told me. I rolled my eyes, "Fine, fine. I'm listening."  
"Listen, my sister is really worried about you." Danny said. I sighed, "I'm fine. Not like I haven't dealt with a hangover before."  
"No man, not just that," Danny said, "Like...with everything, dude. And she's not liking the way you're handling it."  
"Handling it?"  
"Like, drinking yourself into a coma!" Danny said, making it clear. I nodded, "Oh..."  
"Yeah. So lay off the booze okay? And the smoking too?" Danny said, "Please?"  
"Yeah, yeah."  
"Dougie!" he yelled, "Promise me! Okay, please please promise me you won't do anything this stupid again."  
"Okay." I said.  
"Promise me Doug! Say it."  
"I promise I won't do anything stupid, okay? Happy?" I said rolling my eyes. Danny smiled, "Thanks. And sorry for being so harsh. It's just...well I'm worried about you too, man. And I don't want to see my sister cry anymore."  
"She was crying?" I asked, sitting up. He nodded, "She was worried about you."  
"I should probably go talk to her then, huh?"  
"That'd be nice." Danny smiled. I stood up and he grabbed me to make sure I wouldn't fall. Then he put his arms around me and hugged me, "This is well hard, man. I know. We'll get through this though."  
"Thanks, Danny." I said, "You're my best friend."  
I wandered into the bathroom to take a shower. I pulled my shirt off then caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I took a long look at myself. My hair was a mess and my eyes were red and bloodshot. I had bags under my eyes and I just looked awful. I closed my eyes and sighed.  
"What are you doing to yourself, Dougie?"


	13. Chapter 12 and a half

**Mini-Chapter  
Tom's Pov!**

It's been tough since Danny, Dougie and Shay left for Bolton, but somehow, Harry and I have been able to manage.  
"Mate, you just totaled my truck!" Harry shouted with his mouth full and he pressed more buttons on his X-Box controller. Yep, this is how we've been managing. Food and video games. And that's about it.  
"Oh, boo hoo." I laughed as I watched his car burst into flames and the white letters spelling Game Over flash onto the screen. Harry got up to head to the kitchen to get more chips.  
"Get me a coke!" I shouted into the kitchen after him. I leaned back on the couch and kicked my shoes off. Harry and I have been under strict orders not to tell anyone what happened. So when people asked how Charlie died we just tell him he was jumped. When they ask where Danny, Dougie and Shay are, we say the Jones family took a vacation and too Doug with them.  
Believable, right?  
Only it was getting pretty boring telling the same lies every day and rumors started to spread. And you know how people are, they believe what they want and usually that's the most interesting story.  
"Here," Harry tossed me a can of coke as he ripped open our third bag of chips that day. We both looked around. "This place is a mess, dude." I said. He laughed and nodded, "Good thing my folks are gone, huh?"  
We had spent all weekend at Harry's house doing exactly this because his parents weren't home and because we had nothing else to do considering our two friends with cars were runaways. Well, technically that wasn't even Dougie's car considering he's only fifteen, but still.  
I decided to text Danny to see how Bolton was. I didn't exactly need to ask to know. Bolton was pretty much the boredom capital of the planted. I spent a week there with Danny's family when we were in 8th grade. It was awful. But I didn't really care about the town. I just wanted to know how Dougie was holding up.  
_-__Doug's got a hangover. Pretty much dead this morning_.  
I laughed to myself. That was something I'd have liked to see - Dougie drunk.  
"What's so funny?" Harry asked, "What happened."  
"They let Dougie get drunk last night," I told him. Harry rolled his eyes, "Of course..."  
I looked back at my phone and started typing again.  
_-That sucks. He okay? You should keep him away from the booze, mate._  
"So, wanna play another game?" Harry asked turning to the pile of videogames we rented and have yet to play. "Sure," I shrugged as he put another disk into the X-Box and grabbed a controller.  
Halfway through the game, the doorbell rang. Harry sighed, "Hold up, I gotta get that."  
He hopped over the back of the couch and ran to the door. After a few seconds of getting impatient, I turned around, "Who is it, Haz?"  
No answer. I stood up and walked to the door, "Haz. Who's here?"  
I saw Harry standing motionless staring at the two men at the door. I looked up at them and the one on the right pulled a picture out. "Is this boy here?" he asked.  
"N-no, sir." Harry stuttered, "He's not."  
"Well we have reason to believe he's hiding here and we are under strict orders to search your house," the one on the left told us. I swallowed hard and let them inside. The boy in the picture was Dougie.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 - Superman.  
Dougie**

I stepped out of the shower, water dripping down my face, and I looked in the mirror. I was looking much better than before. My eyes weren't nearly as red and my headache was almost gone. Nothing a few aspirin couldn't fix. I shook my wet hair and it stood up in all directions. I looked much better. I felt it too.  
I heard Danny talking outside. He sounded nervous. I wrapped a green bath towel around my waist and walked towards the door and pressed my ear against it. I couldn't hear much of what he was saying. All I could make out was "cops, Dougie, and search." But I knew that couldn't be good. I dried off and pulled on a clean pair of jeans then stepped outside. Danny looked at me, then hung up the phone, "Hey Doug, feeling better?"  
"Cut the crap, what's going on?" I asked him, crossing my arms against my bare chest. He and Shay shared a nervous glance before Danny looked back at me, "N-nothing."  
"Danny!" I shouted, "Who was on the phone! Come on, man!"  
He sighed and sat down on the couch, "Tom called. A few cops showed at Harry's house with a picture of you. They searched the house thinking that Haz was hiding you. They didn't find anything but they know it was you."  
It took me a minute for that to sink in. The cops knew it was me. They had a lead on who it was and where I could be. The knew. Everything.  
"Fucking hell man! What do we do!?" I shouted, starting to pace the room, "There gonna catch me and I'm gonna die!"  
"You won't die, Doug," Danny said calmly, as if that would fix anything.  
"Danny, they kill people like me! They kill murderers! They throw you in jail then they shove you in the electric chair and give you a taste of your own medicine! Danny, they're gonna catch me and kill me, just like some sort of stray dog!"  
"Dougie, Dougie, calm down, okay?" Danny put an arm on my shoulder. "They don't know you're in Bolton. They're check all our friends' houses. Asking them. Tom and Harry are the only ones who know we're in Bolton. You're going to be fine."  
I heard police sirens and ran to the window, shutting the blinds and hiding behind the couch. I was becoming paranoid.  
"Dougie calm down!" Danny repeated, "They aren't looking for you, okay? Now listen carefully. I'm going out to buy some food. God only knows when Elliot will get around to that. You and Shay just stay here, okay?"  
"Sure," I nodded taking a deep breath. Danny headed for the door, "You're gonna be fine."  
I got up from my hiding place behind the couch and started pacing again, rubbing my arms.  
"Maybe you'd be a little warmer if you put some clothes on, hot shot." Shay said flatly. I looked over at her. Her arms were crossed and she was glaring at me like my mother did every time I was in trouble. I was pretty sure she was angry.  
I looked down. I had actually forgotten I wasn't wearing a shirt. "Oh." was all I could manage. "So...I take it you're mad at me?"  
"Good guess," she said.  
"Shay, I'm sorry, okay?" I told her, "I really am."  
"Yeah. Sure," she rolled her eyes, "Fifteen years old and there you are getting wasted out of your mind, then pushing me away when I try to help you. That's all I've been giving you lately is help and you don't even care!"  
"Shay, I was drunk, I didn't know what I was saying!" I told her.  
"Exactly." she shrugged, "I'm in the same situation as you but I'm not getting drunk every night."  
"You're NOT in the same situation as me!" I shouted at her.  
"I'm running away from my home too!" she yelled back, "How is that different!"  
"YOU DIDN'T KILL ANYONE!" I shouted at her. She cringed at that and it seemed like she was a whole three feet smaller at this point. But I was angry. "You aren't a murderer, Shayna!"  
"Dougie, I-"  
"You don't have to fall asleep with the fact running through your mind that you killed someone, do you?" I asked angrily. She didn't answer. "Do you?"  
"No." she mumbled.  
"That's exactly right. You don't even have to be here, Shay. You ought to just go back home to your friends. Go to school and live your life normally. I mean, you didn't do anything wrong! You didn't kill anyone!"  
"Dougie, I was there. I saw what happened. I was with you during the fight so I should be here too." she said.  
"But you're not a murderer!"I shouted.  
"Neither are you," she whispered, "You didn't just kill Charlie because you were pissed at him or something. You did it for me. Because I was in trouble. You did it to save me from being killed. If you ask me, you're not a murderer. You're like a superhero."  
"Superhero?" I asked with a slight grin. I found it kind of humorous. She smiled and nodded, "Well, minus the cape and the funny spandex outfits."  
"Maybe I should get a funny spandex outfit," I smiled. She rolled her eyes and groaned, "Ugh. No thanks. Those things are so gross. They're all tight..." she cringed, "Ew."  
I laughed, "I'd look good and you know it."  
"Oh, you wish," she giggled. I ran towards her and wrapped my arms around her, lifting her off the ground. She giggled, "Put me down, Superman!"  
I wasn't a killer. I was Superman. And even Kryptonite couldn't stop me now.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 - A Better Person  
Shay**

I fell asleep on the couch that afternoon with my head in Dougie's lap. It had been a long night and I was tired. Danny said he'd be home soon, but Dougie and I got tired of waiting so we watched a movie and I fell asleep.  
I woke up when Danny came in through the door, shopping bags in his hands, Elliot trailing behind him. I sat up and Dougie smiled, "Morning."  
I smiled back, "What time is it?"  
"Almost six," Dougie told me, standing up and following Danny to the kitchen where Elliot had made himself comfortable sitting on the counter while Danny put the groceries away.  
"Did you buy anything to drink? I'm thirsty." Elliot asked. Danny looked up at him, "I bought soda. And juice boxes. And that's it."  
We all knew what he was implying. No one was allowed to drink in this house anymore after what happened last night. Elliot nodded, "Alright then, get me a juice box. I haven't drank one of these since I was like...nine."  
Danny laughed and tossed him one and Elliot jammed the straw into the hole at the top. When Danny was done putting everything away he and Elliot started to make dinner. Of course, neither of them knew how to cook so we had spaghetti O's, french fries. Nice. After dinner we all sat down and turned on the TV before Elliot had to go to work.  
I flipped through the channels trying to find something good.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, go back one!" Dougie shouted grabbing the remote out of my hands. He flipped a few channels back.  
"Ew, mate why do you wanna watch the news?" Danny asked.  
"Shh!" Dougie turned the volume up.  
"...In other news, teenager Charlie Simpson was killed this week in a fight. Sources say he was stabbed and the police have few leads on the suspect." A picture of Dougie was shown behind the reporter.  
I looked at Dougie and tears filled his eyes.  
"Doug..." Danny began. His voice was shaking. I looked over at Dougie was shaking even worse. The coke can in his hands was close to falling to the floor.  
"Just turn me in," Dougie whispered.  
"What!?" We all asked.  
"I'm sick of this," Dougie told us, "I'm sick of hiding and I'm sick of seeing myself on the news and having cops search for me. It isn't worth it. They'll find me in the end!" He was crying hard now, "Make everyone's life easier and just turn me in now! I'd be better off dead anyway."  
"Don't say that!" I told him, "You wouldn't be better off dead!"  
"I would too!" He told me, "I'd be better off dead and you know it! Everyone knows it! And I'm sick of living with the fact that I killed someone."  
"Dougie, we went over this. You aren't a murderer." I whispered.  
"Doesn't matter..." He sighed pulling a cigarette out of his back pocket and sticking it in his mouth. I sighed and stared at the ground, pretending I didn't notice.  
"Doug, no one's turning you in, got it?" I said, "No one is letting the police find you."  
Dougie nodded, then pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. He hadn't even lit it up. He tossed it on the ground then grabbed my hand and pulled me into his bedroom and shut the door.  
"Listen," he told me, "Thanks."  
"F-for what?" I asked quietly.  
"Everything. Ever since I met you all you've done is make my life better. Without knowing it. You give me someone to talk to. At school you gave me something to look forward to. And here..." he looked around then shook his head and smiled, "Here, you keep me sane. You make me want to be a better person. With you around...I feel safe. I feel...home."  
I didn't know what to say to that. I just smiled at him and his face inched towards mine. I closed my eyes and felt his breath close to my face and soon his lips touched mine.  
Then, in an instant, everything changed. I heard pounding on the front door, loud pounding and soon the door just flew open. Dougie and I pulled apart and I sent him a nervous look. We heard shouting in the next room so the two of us walked back into the living room.  
"Put your hands in the air!" They shouted.  
Three cops were in Elliot's living room. Elliot and Danny were standing in the middle of the room, their hands in the air, the cops with their guns pointed at them. I could have thrown up.  
"You!" The cops shouted at Dougie. I walked over to Elliot and Danny. Danny wrapped me in his arms and I hid my face in his chest. The two cops threw Dougie into the wall face first. I looked up and saw Dougie's face smashed into the wall, his hands behind his back. One cop searched him while another cuffed him.  
"Let's go." One said, pulling Dougie away from the wall and leading him to the door. Dougie looked back at me, his eyes filled with tears.  
That look he gave me was truely heart breaking. His big blue eyes were filled with tears and innocence. He looked so helpless. So small. For the first time I saw Dougie as someone other than my brother's best friend. Someone other than what everyone else saw him as - a hood. I saw him as my friend. In his eyes, I saw him as a regular, innocent kid. He didn't do anything wrong.  
"Dougie!" I shouted. Danny tightened his arms around me as we watched the two police officers load Dougie into the back of a police car and drive away.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 - Small Guys Can Do Big Things  
Dougie**

I'd never been arrested before. I mean, I was a bad kid, but not that bad. The police officers led me to the car. I didn't really put up much of a fight. They seemed to appreciate that for the most part. People on the streets were watching as they shoved me against the car and searched me yet a second time. I'm pretty sure these cops just enjoyed touching me because they searched me once and there was nothing on me so why did they feel the need to search me again. One of the cops searched my pants a little longer than needed. I got a little uncomfortable after that.  
They began driving away and started questioning me, asking me who it was I was staying with and how i got there. I didn't answer them.  
"Are you going to answer us, son?" one of the cops asked.  
"I have the right to remain silent." I told them simply. They could argue with me all they wanted, but I'd seen enough cop shows to know that I didn't have to talk if I didn't want to.  
They took me downtown to juvenile hall, I was too young to be sent to jail, and they told me I'd stay there until they could find something else to do with me. I figured I'd have some sort of hearing so I could be found guilty and locked up in this place forever. why did they even give me this sense of false hope?  
"You get one phone call," the cop told me. I suppose I owed it to my mom to call her. I dialed with shaky hands and waited for her to pick up.  
"Hello?" Came the tired voice on the other end.  
"Mom?" I said quietly.  
"Dougie? Dougie is that you? Where are you? are you okay?" she sounded like a mix between relieved and scared out of her mind.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." I told her, "I'm in Bolton...in...in jail." I managed to choke out.  
"Jail?! Dougie!" she shouted. "Bolton? Dougie what happened?"  
"You remember that kid Charlie...?" That was all I needed to say. My mom broke down crying. I thought I was going to cry soon as well. I was probably a huge let down to my mom. I fucked up and I knew it. I couldn't take it back. My mom probably hated me. Her son - a murderer. What would she tell people? 'Hi, my name's Sam and my son brutally murders kids by means of a knife' ? I was pretty sure she'd disown me or something, though I can't say I didn't deserve it. I'm a f*ck up. And I knew it. Everyone knew it.  
"Why?" she managed after a minute.  
"He was choking Shay. I..I had to do something. He woulda killed her mom and I didn't know what else to do. I had to save her." I managed.  
She sighed, relieved, "I knew you wouldn't do anything like that if there wasn't a good reason."  
"Of course not!" I said, "Mom what do I do? What am I supposed to do? I can't stay in here! Do I have a case, can you call a lawyer or something and get me out of here?"  
The cop told me to finish my call and my mom said she'd drive down to Bolton tomorrow. I sighed. One night in here couldn't be that bad, could it?  
We got, what they called, 'free time' between six and eight o'clock. Every guy in there just sat around, played cards, or did whatever.  
"So..." An older kid, maybe eighteen, came up to me, "What're you in for?"  
A few other kids came with him, all taller than me, probably much older too. I sat quietly where I was. Finally I looked up at him, "Murder."  
"No way," he said, "I don't believe it, kid. You couldn't kill anyone. Look at the size of you!"  
"Small guys can do big things," I shrugged.  
"Why'd you kill him?" Another boy asked me. So I told them the story. A few thought I was lying, but most stuck by me. They figured I wouldn't make something like that up. They sounded real interested. They didn't view me as a criminal .They saw me as a hero.  
"Do you love her?" The first boy, Greg he said his name was, asked me.  
"Love who?" I asked, confused.  
"This Shayna girl that you saved. You killed someone for her. Did you love her?" The other boy Collin asked.  
I thought about that for a minute, then looked back up at him, "Yeah...yeah I did love her."  
"So that's why you killed this Charlie guy? 'Cause you loved her?" Greg asked, "Whoa. That took guts kid. You shouldn't be here with us. You didn't do nothing wrong."  
I smiled at him, "Try telling that to everyone else in my life. A murder's a murder. And they're gonna kill me too."  
We were back in our cells by eight. I didn't have much to do so I just paced back and forth, back and forth, thinking, worrying. This was my first night and I was already going insane. I couldn't take a lifetime of this. They could just kill me now.  
I fell back on the old cot in my cell and stared up at the ceiling. There were kids here who did things like stealing and getting in fights and dealing drugs, kids that belonged here. Kids that needed to be taught a lesson. I know it's wrong to kill someone. But why is it that on the streets if you kill someone you're a criminal but in a war if you kill someone you're a hero? Isn't everything I go through on a daily basis like a war? If I was protecting someone, someone I loved, shouldn't I be the hero too? Why am I the criminal?  
A thousand of these thoughts raced through my mind. Superman killed criminals and he was a hero. Did people want to throw him in jail? Did people want to put a stop to him? The answer is no. The only people who wanted to stop Superman were other criminals, other bad guys that wanted to stop him. So are these cops criminals as well for locking me up?  
I closed my eyes. Suddenly the life of a superman seemed a lot more complicated than the comic made it out to be.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 - We Find The Defendant, Dougie Poynter...  
Dougie**

My hearing was the next day. I was shaking. If they found my guilty, I'd probably spend the rest of my life here. Of course it probably wouldn't be a long life. If they told me I'd spend my life here I'd probably kill myself. I can't spend a lifetime locked up in a cell. That's just not for me.  
The day of the hearing one of the cops led me into the court room in handcuffs. Yeah, 'cause I'm really gonna try something stupid in a room full of people I love, a judge, and cops. They didn't need to cuff me. But they did. Because I'm a murderer and that's all there is to it.  
I was called to the stands for questioning. James and Matt were there too along with Tom, Harry, Danny and Shayna, Mrs. Jones and my mom. I knew I was a disappointment to everyone in that room. I could tell by their stares that burned a hole through me.  
"So what happened the night you killed Charlie?" one of the guys in suits asked me. He practically spat the word killed. I knew nothing about courts and all that, but I did know that this guy wanted me locked up. He was there with Mr. and Mrs. Simpson. They wanted me locked up as well.  
"Well, the guys and I were walking home from the store. Charlie, Matt and James ran into us and picked a fight. Danny told his sister to run, he didn't want her getting hurt and neither did I. But right as she turned to leave, Charlie tackled her and started choking her. He had a blade with him, but it fell to the sidewalk after he tackled Shayna."  
"He's lying!" Mrs. Simpson shouted from across the room. Every pair of eyes turned to her and the judge banged her gavel on the podium.  
"Order!" she shouted back at Charlie's mom, "Let Dougie finish." She smiled politely back at me for me to continue. Mrs. Simpson sulked in her chair.  
"Thank you, your honor." I smiled, "Anyway, Shay couldn't breathe and I knew she couldn't. I had been jumped a few months back my Charlie and I got cut. I knew he'd kill her is he had to and I wasn't going to let him. I promised myself back after I was jumped that if he ever tried it again I was going to stop him. So I did."  
"And do you have any proof, Mr. Poynter, that Charlie jumped you?" the man tried to find the lie in my story. I just shrugged, "The only 'proof' I have is the scar under my neck from where he cut me, sir. But Danny, Harry and Tom can all vouch for me. They found me that day."  
"Thank you Dougie." the man smiled. "No further questions."  
Next the questioned Tom. He told it like it was, pretty much the same story, only from his point of view. The man, Mr. Brown I figured out his name was, asked Tom if he remembered the day they found me lying on the street.  
"Yeah, I remember." Tom said, "The guys and I were walking home from school and we heard some kids shouting, then saw Charlie Matt and James hightail it across the street. We figured it was another fight, but when we got closer we saw Dougie lying on the ground bleeding. We took him to Harry's house and his dad stitched him up."  
They questioned James next. Asked him what he remembered. He was surprisingly honest.  
"Yeah, we jumped Dougie that day." James admitted, "I didn't think Charlie was gonna do anything like that. But he did. Danny decided that he and a few friends were going to get back at us, so a few weeks ago they did. Which is only fair, if your gang jumps someone you're going to have to expect something like that. But when we ran into them the other night Charlie sought revenge. We only wanted to get back at Danny, really. Why Charlie tackled Shayna, I don't know. We all just ran off after Doug stabbed him."  
"Thank you James." Mr. Brown smiled.'  
I was shaking. By the way the judge was eying me she was going to choose to lock me up forever and I knew it. I wished I could just drop dead on the spot right now. I could barely breathe and I could feel the sweat dripping off my face and I could hear it splashing onto the floor. Every sound in the room was amplified. I was gonna die, and I knew it.  
"We'd like to question Ms. Shayna Jones." Mr. Brown said. Shay walked up to the stand, perfectly calm. They first asked her what she remembered that night.  
"Well, I wanted to walk to the store with my brother and his friends. We ran into Charlie, James and Matt and they were looking for a fight. Danny told me to run. He didn't want me getting hurt. So I turned to run back inside the store or back to my house or something but the next thing I knew I was on the ground with Charlie's arm around my neck. I couldn't breathe." Shay explained.  
"Then what happened?"  
"Then..." Shay looked off trying to remember, "Then everyone kind of panicked. I don't remember much after that because I passed out. The last thing I saw was Dougie reaching for the knife. And when I woke up, Charlie was dead."  
"Because Dougie killed him?" he wanted to clarify.  
"Dougie didn't do anything wrong." Shay shot at him angrily, "Dougie saved my life. If it weren't for him I could have been choked to death. Dougie only killed him to protect me. He only did it as self-defense. He didn't do anything wrong at all. You all want to lock him up because he killed Charlie, but in doing that he saved my life! You can't lock him up for that."  
They dismissed Shay from the stands and we all waited for them to reach a verdict. Everyone looked at me and I stared at the ground. My mother was crying, and the guys all were holding back tears. Shay had her face buried in Harry's chest and my heart was pounding in my ears.  
The judge quieted the court then cleared her throat. I stopped breathing  
"We have found the defendant,"  
I blinked twice and tried to see straight. Everything went blurry.  
"Mr. Dougie Lee Poynter,"  
I started shifting my weight and I swallowed hard.  
"Not guilty."  
I looked up, stunned. Tom, Harry and Danny ran over to me, wrapping me in a massive hug. They all laughed and blinked their tears away before anyone else noticed. Finally I looked across the room at Shay. She smiled at me, then ran over to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I hugged her and lifted her off the ground.  
"Thanks," I whispered in her ear.  
James and Matt sat across the room and I approached them. "Hey."  
James stood up and smiled at me, "Hey."  
"Thanks," I said offering him my hand. He stared at it for a minute before looking back in my eyes. I gave him a sincere smiled and he took it.  
"Sure," was all he said.  
My mom hugged me crying and Mrs. Jones was next to her, crying just as hard. I smiled at the judge, "Thank you." I whispered. She just smiled and nodded.  
If Superman were to be arrested I wonder if the jury would have reached the same verdict.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 - Happiness.  
Shay  
**  
"Home at last!" Danny smiled as we walked through the front door. It wasn't that we didn't like living with Elliot, but spending just those few days with nothing to drink but beer and flat soda, life got kind of boring. Plus Bolton was a pretty boring town in all honesty. It was nice to get to see my friends again.  
"Shayna!" Sasha and Caitlin busted through my bedroom door not twenty minutes after I had gotten home. They both tackled me into a hug.  
"You're home!" Sasha smiled, "Thank God!"  
"Yeah, I'm home." I laughed, shoving them off me. They both stood awkward and silent. I knew they wanted to ask me what happened. I knew they were just waiting for a good time.  
"Go ahead," I told them, "Say it."  
The two of them shared a look, then started shouting questions at me, "What happened?" "Why'd Dougie kill him?" "Why'd you run away?"  
I told them the story. Plain and simple, we didn't want to get arrested.  
"So..." Caitlin elbowed me, "How'd you like living with Dougie?"  
Leave it to my friends to think about boys at a time like this. My faced turned red, "It was...cool."  
"Oooooh," they both laughed and started poking my face, which was now bright red.  
We spent the day catching up on everything I had missed and I filled them in on what happened while we were hiding in Bolton.  
"Weren't you scared?" Sasha asked.  
"Sure," I shrugged, "But I knew I had to do it."  
"You didn't answer any of our calls!" Caitlin complained.  
"Oh yeah, like I'm going to answer your calls, tell you what happened, and have you tell half the school," I rolled my eyes, then smiled, "Come on Caitlin. You can't exactly keep a secret."  
"Sure I can," she crossed her arms, "I haven't told you about the time Sasha kissed your brother at a party."  
"Caitlin!" Sasha screamed, hitting her.  
"Oops..."  
I glared at both of them. "I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear that."  
We all were quiet for a minute. Best friends don't always have to talk. It was just nice having them around again. After the week I had all I really needed were my friends by my side. And I had them back. Not speaking to them, not telling them what was going on killed me as much as it killed them to not know.  
"I missed you guys." I told them after a few minutes of silence.  
"We missed you too," Caitlin told me. My friends wrapped me in a hug.  
"Knock knock." I hear someone say, "Am I interrupting?"  
Dougie was standing at my door with this crooked smile on his face. Sasha and Caitlin gave me a look before standing up, "Well, it was good seeing you again Shay. See you tomorrow."  
"Bye Shay," Sasha waved. The two of them giggled to each other as they passed Dougie and left my bedroom. Dougie walked in.  
"Hi," he smiled.  
"Hi, Dougie," I whispered.  
He started circling my room just looking at stuff. He stopped at my desk and picked up a photo.  
"This you?" he asked me. I walked over and looked at the faded picture in the black frame. In it was a little girl with light brown hair, fringe falling into her big brown eyes. She was smiling, showing all her teeth. The front two were missing. She was in the backyard, in nothing but a gray t-shirt that hung past her knees and a purple and white baseball cap. That little girl was me.  
"Yeah," I nodded and smiled faintly, "I was about six in that picture."  
"You were so cute," he said with a small laugh. "And that's Danny there, I'm guessing?"  
Behind me was a small boy with long brown hair and freckles sitting on the grass. He looked miserable. I laughed, "Yeah that's him. I remember that day. He was upset because I was in all the pictures my dad was taking. He wanted to be in one."  
Dougie laughed with me. "You look so happy here."  
"I was." I sighed, "But that was a while ago. I was small, clueless, and happy. I was home."  
"You can't be happy now?" he asked me. I sighed and shrugged, "I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. This week has been crazy and it's got me confused and I don't know if I can be happy again."  
"And that's probably my fault." Dougie said quietly.  
"No!" I told him, "No. No no no, not at all. That's not your fault. I just...I just wish I could go back. Back to how I was in that picture. Really and truely happy."  
He looked back down at the picture and smiled again, "You were adorable."  
"Were adorable. Keyword there." I teased him. He looked back up at me as he set the picture back down on my desk.  
"Exactly," he told me. "You're not an adorable little kid anymore. You're absolutely beautiful."  
He grabbed my hand and his face moved closer to mine. I got butterflies in my stomach, just like when I was little. His lips crashed onto mine as my eyes fell shut and for once in my life everything finally felt right. I went back to being that little girl in that picture. For once I was really and truely happy. When I was with Dougie I was home.


End file.
